Motorless boat propeller



May-2, 1944. E. H. PHILLAS 7 2,348,027

MOTORLESS BOAT 'PROPELLER Filed Oct. 26, 1942 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 if I i May 2, 1944. E. H. PHILLAS MOTORLESS BOAT PROPELLER Filed Oct. 26, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 2, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOTORLESS BOAT PROPELLER Efstratios n. Phillas, ew York; N. Y. I Application October 26, 1942, Seriallio. 463,375 (or. 74-42) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to so-called motorless boats, meaning particularly small craft which may be driven by cars operated bythe occupant, or by small units of gasoline motormechanism' such as can be lifted'by hand termed out-board motors and which may be installed in or removedfrom the vessel by the operator.

The object of this invention is the. construction and arrangement of a special system of leversor bars and the connections thereof pivot'ally and'movably whereby it is intended to. assist at the start and during the operation" the rotation of the propeller mechanism in the direc tion desired, forward or backward atwill, and to enable the movement of the combined parts to be stopped or accelerated in an emergency such as a necessity for arresting or reversing the progress of the boat suddenly. The individual expressions employed to' identify the difierent elements in the following description are chosen only for the purpose of explanation. Furthermore, this applicant has in contemplation the introduction in the same boat of two'sets of the given devices herein described and specified, and the attachment .of twoipropellers spaced apart at the stern and adapted to be rotated in the same orin opposite directions for turning or steering the movin vessel;

Accompanying; this application and forming a part of the specification are drawings of the invention, and Fig. 1 represents a side view showing all parts assembled with the auxiliary recesscdlever and the extended end'of the main driving barattached.

Fig. 2 is a side view'o'f all the co-acting parts showing the main driving bar and auxiliary lever detached, and the pressure leverin lowered contacting position.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the upper portion of the hand lever, showing the devices carried by the hand lever and the'side spring positioning the auxiliary lever bar.

Throughout the drawings and description the same number is used to refer to the same part.

Considering the drawings, I refers to the bottom of the boatto be propelled, of which tie the propeller blade and 3the propeller shaft. It is to be understood that the construction illustrated may be modified in practice to. locate the operating levers system so that theoperator will face towards the bow of the boat instead of the stern as shown. The mitre gearing 4 is directly driven by the intermediate toothed and mitre gear wheel directly below the termination 9 a socket recess 5 meshing with the main driving gear wheel 6.

tion, a' coil spring 24 53 arranged to receive the end of the spring catch it on the end of the pivoted piece l5 provided with the pivot pin IS. A pin I! at the end of the piece I5 is connected by means of the coil spring it with the pin it shown between the recesses l i and 12 on the auxiliary lever bar 20. When the spring catch M is engaged with the socket IS the recess of the auxiliary lever and the termination 9 of the main driving lever bar 8 are connected and yieldingly so held. It will be .noted in both Figs. 1 and 2 that the end of the main driving bar which has rounded termination 9 extends for a distance beyond the-pivotal connection of the driving bar and-the hand lever. Reference number 2| indicates the pivotal fulcrum of the lengthwise lever 20' on the hand lever 1.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the side springs 22 and 23 which are carried by the upper portion of the hand lever are caused to press equally against the sides of the upper end of the lever 20, and serve to position that lever yielding and aligned as indicated with the hand lever. If found necessary due to the requirements of any particular service of the boat equipped with this inven may be attached to the end of lever 22% as shown and to the pin 25' on lever i to assist in holding the lever Zil'lengthwisein position in line with the hand lever.

The lever system also comprises three co-acting lever bars of which the lower lever 26 has one end attachedto the pivotal connection 21 on the main driving gear 6-, which isalso the .connection for the main driving lever bar 8'. The middle. lever 28 has a slot 3%) substa'nti ally half way between its ends and the lower lever has an end pin as engaging that slot. The middle'lever has a pivotal "connection '31 withth ripper or pressure lever? 32,- arid the 7 middle 1 lever Z B'has a pivotal connectionxwith the hand lever" in 'common with the main driving bar 8. The pressure or upper lever 32 has an angular or convergent end 33 formed to contact with the stop lug 34 on lower lever 26 when the other end, of the pressure lever is in its engaging position as illustrated in Fig. 2. a

As best shown in Fig. 3 the upper or pressure lever 32 has a slot lengthwise marked 35 and a pin 26 on the upper end'of the lengthwise lever engages the slot 35. To limit the length of the slot in the pressure lever 32 there are provided two spaced sliding pin or similar devices such as the pin 31, the pins 31 or plugs being held in their uppermost positions and out of the slot 35 in the pressure lever 32 by the springs such as the spring 38. The springs engage the top ends of the pins by a suitable connection and the pins are held up untilforced downwardly across the slot 35 by the contact of the lugs such as the lug 39 on the sliding hand operated bar 40, as best shown in Fig. 3.

To follow the operation of this invention the drawings will be considered with the following explanation. Assume the parts to be in the positions drawn in Fig. 1, with the main driving bar or lever upon or near a dead center with the main gear wheel. The recessed lever bar and the rounded termination of the extended end of the driving bar are connected and so held by the engagement of the socket and spring latch described. 7 Now, the movement by the occupant of the boat oi the upper end of the hand lever to the left will exert a yielding pull by the recessed lever on the extended end of the main driving bar and will assist the clockwise rotation of the main gear in starting or in regular rotation. Then assume that the top end of the main hand lever has reached the limit of its movement to the left and the main driving" bar extends across the main gear wheel in the dead center line. A pull by the top of the hand lever to the right, causes the recessed lever to press the extended end of the main driving bar down and thus assist the start or continued rotation clockwise. 7 p

Again, assume that a reverse movement is desired. The main driving bar and recessed lever are separated, andthe slot in the upper pressure lever limited by the pins specified. The angle end of the pressure lever is moved down into contactwith'the lug on the lower lever, and rotation of main driving gear wheel counter-clockwise is assisted; j As the main gear and main bar connections approach the other side position on dead center'by movement of'the top end of the hand lever toright', the action of the slot and pin coupling'of the'lower lever and the middle or intermediatelever exerts a yielding pull up on the system' also counter clockwise and reversed as desired; The limiting'ofthe slot in the pressure lever as herein explained, enables the operator to work the parts faster and if required to apply added force to the operation.

Having now'described this invention, 1 claim: -l; In apparatus of the character described having in combination with a support, a main driv ing gear wheel, a system'of levers comprising a hand lever having one end pivotally upon said support, a main driving bar pivotally connected with said main driving gear and with said hand lever, the end of said bar extending to one side of the hand lever and having a half circular ter-' mination, an auxiliary bar having one edge recessed to engage detachably said termination of the driving bar, a spring connecting said driving bar termination and the auxiliary bar, releasable devices constructed to hold said spring under tension, a lever pivotally carried lengthwise by the hand lever and pivotally connected with said auxiliary recessed bar, side springs constructed and arranged to hold the said lengthwise lever in resiliently yielding position, and a plurality of co-acting additional levers pivotally and movably connected whereby one of said additional levers may be caused to exert pressure on said driving bar, said lengthwise lever having 'a projecting pin, and said pressure lever having a slot engaging said pin whereby said co-acting levers are actuated.

2. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a main driving gear wheel, a pivoted handlever, a main driving bar pivotally connecting said hand lever and main driving gear, a system of three additional levers, one of said levers being connected with said main driving gear wheel at one end, a pressure lever having a lengthwise slot, said hand lever provided with a pin engaging said slot, a connecting lever pivotally attached at its ends to said main driving bar and said pressure lever, and said pressure lever and connecting lever being constructed with slot and slot engaging pin devices pivotally joining said pressure and connecting levers, as shown and described.

, 3. An apparatus of the character described, comprising in combination a hand lever, a main driving'gear, a main driving bar pivotally connected with the hand lever and main driving gear, said bar extending at one end beyond the pivot of the bar and hand lever, an auxiliary bar, the extended end of the said main driving bar and said auxiliary bar lever having mutually engaging releasable devices whereby the extended end of the said driving bar and said auxiliary bar can i be connected and disconnected, a lever carried lengthwise by the hand lever and having one end pivotally connected with an end of said auxiliarybar at a distance above the pivotal connection of said main driving bar and hand lever, and

- side springs carried by the hand lever whereby said lengthwise lever is yieldingly and resiliently held in position aligned with the hand lever.

4. An apparatus of the character described, comprising in combination a pivoted hand lever, a main driving gear wheel, a main driving bar pivotally connected with the said hand leverand main driving gear wheel, a system of levers con sisting of three levers including a lower connecting lever having one end pivotally connected with the conectlon of said main gear wheel and said main driving bar, anintermediate connecting lever, and an upper pressure lever, said intermediate lever having its ends'pivotally connected with said main driving bar and said pressure lever, said lower lever andsaid intermediate connecting lever provided withmovably and pivotally engaging slot and pin. devices whereby the movement of the hand lever. draws the end of the pressure lever down upon said lower lever, said lower lever having a stop lug engaging the end of said pressure lever, said hand lever carrying aprojecting-pin, and said pressure lever being constructed with alongitudinal slot engaging said pin wherebya movement of the hand lever will exert pressure by the end of the pressure lever upon the said lower lever.

. EFSTRATIOS H. PHILLAS. 

